William Mahone

William Mahone
Portrait by Mathew Brady c. 1865–1880
United States Senator from Virginia
In office March 4, 1881 – March 4, 1887
Preceded by	Robert E. Withers
Succeeded by	John W. Daniel
Member of the Virginia Senate from the Norfolk City district
In office March 1, 1864 – April 9, 1865
Preceded by	William N. McKenney
Succeeded by	Edmund Robinson
Personal details
Born	(1826-12-01)December 1, 1826 Southampton County, Virginia
Died	October 8, 1895(1895-10-08) (aged 68) Washington, D.C.
Resting place	Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia
Political party	Democratic (before 1877) Readjuster (1877–1889) Republican (after 1889)
Alma mater	Virginia Military Institute
Nickname	"Little Billy"
Military service
Allegiance	Confederate States
Branch/service	Confederate States Army
Years of service	1861–1865
Rank	Major General
Battles/wars	American Civil War (1861-1865) Peninsula Campaign Second Manassas Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Overland Campaign Battle of the Crater Appomattox Campaign

William Mahone (December 1, 1826 – October 8, 1895) was a Confederate States Army general, civil engineer, railroad executive, prominent Virginia Readjuster and ardent supporter of former slaves.^[1]

As a young man, Mahone was prominent in building Virginia's roads and railroads. As chief engineer of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad, he built log-foundations under the routes in the Great Dismal Swamp in southeast tidewater Virginia that are still intact today. According to local tradition, several new railroad towns were named after the novels of Sir Walter Scott, a favorite British/Scottish author of Mahone's wife, Otelia.

In the American Civil War, Mahone was pro-secession and served as a general in the Confederate States Army. He was best known for regaining the initiative at the late war siege of Petersburg, Virginia, while Confederate troops were in shock after a huge mine/load of black powder kegs was exploded beneath them by tunnel-digging former coal miner Union Army troops resulting in the Battle of the Crater in July 1864; his counter-attack turned the engagement into a disastrous Union defeat.

After the war, he returned to railroad building, merging three lines to form the important Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio Railroad (AM&O), headquartered in Lynchburg. He also led the Readjuster Party, a state political party with a coalition of freemen blacks, Republicans, and populist Democrats. The Virginia General Assembly elected Mahone to the U.S. Senate in 1881.